THE BEST GOLF GPS OF 2018

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18

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INDEPENDENT & UNBIASED

MyGolfSpy accepts $0 advertising dollars from any of the major golf manufacturers. We believe in always putting #ConsumerFirst.

18

HoursResearched

2

ExpertsInterviewed

16

ProductsConsidered

33.8m

Readers

2018 GOLF GPS BUYER’S GUIDE

Do you still search for ground markers to determine how far you have to the center of the green? If so, we are here to tell that you need to get with the times. Why pace off yardages when modern a GPS will give distances to nearly anything on the golf course. Many are stylish enough to be worn as an everyday wristwatch. Some even include activity monitors for those interested in tracking their fitness.

The process of buying anything in today’s time has become stressful and time-consuming. We feel the best reviews are those that help you make the right choices and help you get the most out of your time and money. This way you can buy with confidence and eliminate a lot of the guesswork. We are here to help show you how a product will perform before you buy.

One key to our testing protocols is that we test products head-to-head. We select the top products from each category and put them through extensive and detailed head-to-head testing. We test both in the lab and in the field. We score each product across a range of weighted categories. We then rank the products, explain why products finished where they did, and give awards to the best-performing products in the category.

The majority of scoring centered around the features of the GPSs as most submissions did the same basic things. We also considered the ease of use and accuracy of the GPSs. The display screen was included in the scoring because some displays were significantly clearer than others.

THE METRICS

We’re always fine-tuning the process to make sure we’re collecting the best data possible. Continuing that trend we’ve updated and refined this year’s analysis to bring you the best buying advice possible.

We put in hours of testing leveraging data-driven protocols and new metrics. The metrics and attention to detail are better than ever.

For GPS testing we went to a golf course and used a Bushnell Tour V4 laser rangefinder to find the distance to the center of the green. We then compared the readings provided by the GPS to those provided by the laser. Testers were then asked questions regarding the reliability of the course mapping features. We found that effective course mapping was more important than precise distances, though both were considered in scoring.

In addition to the common features we considered, testers were also asked to look through the feature list offered by each of the GPS tested. They were free to test out any features they found interesting. We then asked specifically worded questions regarding the functionality, features, and display of the GPS’s.

Display (20 points) – How clear is the picture on the screen? Is the display intuitive or is it cluttered and confusing? The best performers in terms of display screen rival the clarity of an Apple Watch. The worst GPS’s had displays that were little more than numbers on a screen.

Features (45 points)– All GPSs give distances to targets, but not all of them include pedometers, heart rate monitors, TruSwing, or the ability to make calls. These additional features can take the golf GPS experience to the next level. Poor performers in this category were effective at little more than providing distances. The best GPS’s in terms of features did literally more than you can imagine.

Functionality (20 points) – The majority of GPSs on the market today have auto course recognition. This means that as soon as you hit play on the GPS the machine attempts to find the satellite necessary to provide distances. Because this feature exists for the majority of products on the market, those GPS’s that require you to download courses are simply not as user-friendly. Some submissions were also designed in a way that made operation a breeze. Top performers tended to stand out due to the organization of the screen and the functionality of the GPS as a whole.

Accuracy (15 points) – How accurate are the numbers the GPS provides compared to those provided by the Bushnell V4 laser rangefinder? While we found little difference in the distances the GPSs provide, the more data per hole the GPS offers, the better frame of reference the golfer has. The more the player knows about the hole he’s playing, the better he’s likely to perform.

Final grades were awarded based on total scores. Best Overall is our highest overall scoring GPS, and awards are given to the top three submissions. Also, more specific Best in Class recognitions are awarded to GPS’s in certain categories (like accuracy, display, and features ) that push the industry’s design envelope.

We also give an “Editor’s Choice” and a “Best Buy” award to those products that provide value products that compete with the bigger names on performance.

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THE BEST GOLF GPS OF 2018

Garmin Approach S60

"Best GPS OF 2018"

Display

1st

Features

1st

Functionality

1st

Accuracy

1st

Total

94.5

1

Shop & Support

When you shop online consider using our special link. It helps support this site and other golfers around the world. #ConsumerFirst

What We Liked

The Garmin S60 has been crowned number 1 for the second consecutive year. The S60 has multiple features that allow you to not just play golf, but also keep track of your health on a day-to-day basis. It records everything from how many steps you take to how many laps you swam during your pool session. The Garmin watch is not just the only GPS that offers a touch screen, but it is also the only one we tested that has a color display for easy, stress-free use.

Pros

Big touch-screen for easy viewing and ease of use

Color display

Multiple health-focused features

Extremely comfortable

Easy charging system

41,000 preloaded courses

Cons

Only available in a couple of colors

Garmin S10

Display

2nd

Features

3rd

Functionality

1st

Accuracy

1st

Total

86.5

#2

Shop & Support

When you shop online consider using our special link. It helps support this site and other golfers around the world. #ConsumerFirst

What We Liked

The Garmin S10 is the “Most accurate GPS of 2018” and another great addition to the impressive Garmin GPS family. The simplicity of the product makes for easy use for every player. The S10 acquires the satellite within seconds which allows your to get on whatever feature you want faster. The Garmin watch also recognizes what course and hole you are on without the need to scroll through the settings menu. Although the readouts on the screen are black and white, they are crisp and easy to read.

Pros

Quick satellite acquisition

User-friendly

High-resolution display

41,000 preloaded courses

12-hour battery life

Cons

Black and white display only

Bushnell Phantom

"Best Value"

Display

2nd

Features

6th

Functionality

1st

Accuracy

1st

Total

84.5

#3

Shop & Support

When you shop online consider using our special link. It helps support this site and other golfers around the world. #ConsumerFirst

What We Liked

The Bushnell Phantom was crowned “Best Value GPS of 2018″. The Phantom comes with nearly 40,000 courses preloaded on the device as well as Bluetooth technology for auto course updates. The GPS provides distances to the front, middle and back, allowing the players to choose his desired club and will also highlight up to 4 hazards on the chosen hole.

Pros

Intuitive design is easy to use

40,000 courses preloaded

Provides accurate distances to front, middle, and back

10-hour battery life

Cons

Limited features and add-ons

2018 GPS Buyers guide

Name

Display

Features

Functionality

Accuracy

Total

Garmin Approach S60

1st

1st

1st

1st

94.5

Garmin S10

2nd

3rd

1st

1st

86.5

Bushnell Phantom

2nd

6th

1st

1st

84.5

Voice Caddy T2

4th

2nd

5th

4th

84

Shot Navi W1-GL

5th

5th

5th

4th

80.5

Shot Navi Hug

6th

4th

7th

4th

80

Shot Navi N2

7th

7th

4th

4th

79.5

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Harry Nodwell

2x All American in Soccer and Golf. Grew up in Exmouth, Devon, England before coming to America and study at CNU. Director of Product Testing and Working hard to bring you the most comprehensive and unbiased golf equipment test results for Soft and Hard Goods.
#TruthDigest

Jackson

11 months ago

I have the approach S60. Still a touch glitchy. I’ve had it for over a year now. It’s fantastic on the course. Pretty accurate and gorgeous looking. My biggest pet peeves are…

– Sometimes it registers my swing, sometimes it doesn’t. I’d say 80% of my swings are captured.
– No 10% brightness. It stops at 20%. 20% is brighter than the sun at night when checking in the middle of the night. I wish they could dial the brightness down. I also wish it could be enabled by a back button. Even an interaction with the sheets can turn on the backlight.
-No HR monitor. For a $400 watch…come on.
– Garmin App is also kinda hit or miss. My wife has a fenix 5 and there are days where we’re together, and she’s doing more walking, but I have 1000+ steps more…don’t get it
– I’ve missed plenty of calls/texts because I’ll walk away from my phone, return to it, and it won’t reconnect even after 30 min. I have to force sync it for it to connect back, which I find myself doing a lot throughout the day.

scott

11 months ago

I use a free app called golf logix . There is a product that you do get something for nothing. It works too the only thing I need to know is front back and middle it does work as good as the $400 laser view finder. Did I say it’s freeeeeeeeeeee

Nocklaus

scott

5 months ago

Maybe you should try Golf Logix I’ve golf with people who have the high end laser finders and it’s been dead on or a yard difference it’s a great app

nef

11 months ago

Nice idea, but without real detail on feature to feature not very useful. What I want in my GPS watch is: 1. ACCURATE Distance to the hole like every watch out there. 2. Distances for ALL hazards to the front and carry distance. 3. Diagram or picture of the hole. I play a lot of courses that I am not familiar with and the course does not always present a decent graphic of each hole. 4. Direction for blind shots. 5. Easy to read. 6. Long battery life. 7. Auto hole advance. 8. Score keeping not a real priority. 9. Other statistics and tracking is nice but not a requirement. 10. Affordable and no subscription blackmail. 11. Basic round statistics, shot distance, club average distance (although I should know that by heart) appropriate to the specific hole. 12. Compatibility with other apps and features is a bonus, but swing tracking is beyond my level of need. Great for the better player who is also a student of his or her swing (they seem to go together).

Andrew

Spitfisher

11 months ago

I would be completely lost without my GPS watch ( not reviewed 🙁 )

and my Bushnell tourV . We have heavy undulating greens and hills. Shots must carry over ridges and hills on the green. The watch tells me front, center and back, the laser tells me how far from center the flag really is….yes both saves me stroke big time, Im sure I am not alone

Erik

11 months ago

I still play with my multisport watch Fenix 3 which is just having the basic Garmin golf functionality and I really like it….

Now Garmin has released a Fenix 5+ which also seems to be having all the golf functionality of the S60 but also all the other sports. If you are not just golfing but also doing other sports (I know, unlikely – there is nothing other than Golf…) then this is likely the even better buy!

Jody Smith

11 months ago

I have the Garmin S20, which is an older model. It looks similar to the S10 but I think it may be a year or two older model. It has helped me tremendously with me at least having a shot at selecting the right club as I am new to the game. It helps me with with keeping score also. When you get to the green, it has the par # of strokes already preset on the screen, you just scroll up or down to add or subtract strokes and hit okay and Bob’s your uncle. I was horrible about having to replay the hole in my head every time i got back to the cart to tally up the hole, especially when you have to all all those drop penalties from lost balls! This makes it way easier for me anyway. Plus, it helps me start to learn to gauge the distance by eye. I’ll just take a guess at how far I am before I look at it and then glance and see if I was close. I find that I am getting more accurate without it as I learn to use the markers.

mackdaddy

RP

11 months ago

I was one of those holdouts – wanting to be old school, and relying on yardage markers on the course and pacing off shots. … And then finally trying a few different phone apps that burned down my phone during the course of my round, leaving me wondering if I’d have enough juice left in case I received an important call.

So as a result of MGS’s review last year I went in whole hog, thanks to the prompting of my dear wife, and bought the best – the Garmin S60. … And while it does have so many whistles and bells it took a few rounds to get the hang of it, I must say it’s been my best golf purchase of the year.
Accurate to within a yard or so (or too little to argue), and without the pain of use of a rangefinder (drag it out, sight it, fight off the morning caffine shakes, sight it again to check and make sure, etc., etc.) – walking to my ball, checking the yardage, and grabbing a stick. … It couldn’t be smoother and easier.

Plus, whether it be I’m playing an unfamiliar course, that the S60 locates by pushing one button in the parking lot in the same amount of time it takes me to unload my clubs from the trunk of the car, or playing blind shots (whether from the weeds, or the next fairway), or picking out lay-up yardages, Garmin delivers.

Easy to read dial, lightweight and comfortable to wear, and plenty of extra features – from charting your steps, to connecting with your phone and giving you a little buzz if you get a call or text from the office (while you have your ringer turned off on the course), automatic updates delivered while it’s recharging, and many other apps and features – the S60 is more than just a golf watch.

Alex

P.J.

11 months ago

At $400, the S60 is more than double the price of the #2 rated GPS @ $149. A no-brainer for me…
While the color screen is prettier, in the end – I just accurate numbers without trying to hone in on a flag with a laser.
I too would’ve like to see how SkyGolf unit’s would’ve fared, since they physically walk the courses to get their numbers.
Thanks for the comparison’s – as always, great stuff!

MattF

11 months ago

There was a testers review of the Lynx done last year. (You can see it in the forums) It didn’t fair to well as there were a lot of bugs that needed to be sorted out, which is usually the case with Skygolf products.

Steven C

11 months ago

I have an older Garmin GPS watch that I love and a laser rangefinder. I use the watch every single hole. I use the laser rangefinder a few times a round, if I play a course that I am unfamiliar with. I find the GPS watch so much more convenient than a laser rangefinder and will get another Garmin when my current unit bites the dust.

Chris C.

11 months ago

I have a Bushnell Neo XS and I value it almost as much as my putter du jour. It is accurate and it is simple. If it dies, I may have to try the Garmin S10. Indeed, for stylistic reasons, I might still give the S10 a try. Touch screens, color displays, health features, texting and e-mail features are all “cons” in my assessment.

Dave S

11 months ago

Got the S60 as a father’s day gift and love it. Had been using the older Bushnell Neo+ watch that just gives front back center distances. That was fine, but this adds so much more functionality… and not just features for the sake of features, but useful ones. In the very first round i used it, I’m convinced it directly saved me at least 2 strokes. One very underrated feature is the hole direction function which will point you in the direction of the flag even if it’s out of sight. In the past I would have had to judge the shot by memory or best guess, but with this, I was able to hit the green. Too many other features to mention here, but I’ll say this: if you’re in the market for a GPS watch, don’t let the price tag keep you away… you really do pay for what you get with this one.

Will

11 months ago

Are there really that many people who like wearing a watch when they play golf; I’m not one of them. Been using a Garmin hand held, that I hang on my belt in a small Reiko cell phone case, for a number of years without a problem. It’s their G8 model (thin, light), which gives me 2 rounds of golf, before needing a charge; I will say that their earlier models were fine, but a little thick & had some weight to them…

Terry McDowell

Al

5 months ago

If you are gonna strap a golf watch to the bag, you may as well use the garmin g8 handheld. You could strap that to the bag as well if you want. Or if riding, attach it to the golf cart, or sit it in the cup holder like I do. Nothing wrong with a watch, but if you aren’t wearing it on your wrist, you may as well use the g8 with the bigger screen.

RP

11 months ago

Perhaps you’re comparing them to normal/metal wrist watches, that are comparatively heavy and would be a bother – and I must say I have a Garmin S60, and after decades of never wearing a watch while playing the addition was seamless and it’s really not noticeable.

Then again, you’re not one of those guys at the office that never wears a watch at work either and is always asking me what time it is every time I see you, are you?

Troy Sheaffer

11 months ago

Have had a Garmin Approach G30 for over a year, it’s actually the 3rd one that Garmin has sent me. All three have had issues with the touch screen being unresponsive, freezing up, not allowing me to navigate the unit or not recognizing where the screen was being touched. I have spoke with Garmin customer service on numerous occasions and they claim this issue is not happening with others, which all know is a farce. When the unit actually works it’s a wonderful GPS that is very accurate. At this point I would not recommend anyone buying it until they resolve the issue with the touch screen freezing up.

Matt

11 months ago

I have a Garmin Approach S2 which I really like, but it is very slow to acquire the satellites once I turn it on, and is even slow if it has been on, but hasn’t been used in a couple of days. The battery life isn’t the best either, but it has been my go to until recently.

I have an Apple Watch and recently started using the Hole 19 app. It requires a subscription for the more advanced features, but I feel that they are totally worth it. It allows you to set the tee position as well as accurately record the distance and position of each shot. The downside to the advanced features are that they must be used on the phone app itself. If you use the normal features, then you can do everything on the app: Mark where the fairway was hit or missed, if you got up and down or made a sand save. All of that on top of being a GPS. Just my two cents.

Mark Harr

11 months ago

I’m disappointed that SkyCaddie was not on your list, but I assume it was that they did not submit devices for your test, not that you’ve excluded them.

I realize many don’t like that they charge an annual subscription. But to me, that is worth it, knowing the yardages have been walked off and recorded on the course, and that they regularly return to courses to enter updates for course modifications. That subscription is worth it, knowing the GPS waypoints were not just entered by some high-school dropout clicking on a copy of Google satellite maps. I know those distances are good when I use my device, I’m not hoping they are like I see some others.

Skycaddie’s devices are not always state-of-the-art, they can be slow to start up at the course, and syncing is a PIA. But, because I know they have people walking the course, recording the waypoints directly. I can count on knowing exactly what that carry of the bunker is, how far to the creek, and carry distance to the green on my line to that specific pin position (not just “front” of the center of the green). I don’t think any of the devices you have here give that, and that “accuracy” score you have listed here suffers for that.

Nocklaus

Mark

11 months ago

The phantom is a very good unit. I can’t stand to swing with anything on my wrists. Add in the fact that the free add on app, has everything you need. Pull up on your phone an actual flyover of the hole. Not sure why the complaint was no add on stuff.

Rick

Paul

Kevin1889

11 months ago

Smartwatch apps and GPS accuracy testing would be great. I chose the Apple Watch 3 over a golf specific watch this past season. With the Apple Watch 3, you no longer need to be tethered to your phone and I found it to be a lot lighter and less intrusive than the Garmins. Would love to see how accurate it is with apps like The Grint, Golfshot, etc.